


You live your life in dark nights and neon graffiti (I live mine from the sidelines)

by charons_boat



Series: The Expansion Packs: Three Sentence Prompts Edition [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Donghyuck is a bad boy, Flowers, Friends to Lovers, Graffiti, M/M, Mentioned Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Nonsense Words, Police, anti-government propaganda, friends - Freeform, graffitiartist!donghyuck, jeno is rich, officer!jeno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:33:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23580898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat
Summary: Anyone you asked would tell you that Lee Jeno was an excellent policeman, perhaps the most focused and dedicated on the force. So the fact that he'd been unable to catch the graffiti artist in the subways was baffling to everyone--well, except for Haechan, the artist himself, who'd had the officer wrapped aorund his finger since they were in preschool together. Jeno, rather than arresting his friend, took the days he was supposed to catch the criminal to admire the beautiful work left overnight, before he regretfully snapped a picture and scrubbed it off the walls.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Series: The Expansion Packs: Three Sentence Prompts Edition [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671889
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. An Introduction of Jeno

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jingletown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jingletown/gifts).



> I wrote this for Author-nim, one of my favorite people on Twitter! This is a thanks for all the incredible aus they write since I can't give them any money! The summary is the original prompt from the Three Sentence writing challenge I do.

Lee Jeno, for all his life, had been known as the heir to Lee Corporations. The company had grown from his grandfather's small tech business in a small garage into a very successful conglomerate of interconnected businesses that had a hand in almost every other business in the country's major cities. They were even beginning to reach into the neighboring countries, set on a fast-track to even more success, when the unthinkable happened. Jeno's mother died.

It had been a robbery gone wrong. She'd been in a small pharmecutical store that she'd been going to for years, even before she met Jeno's father, and someone had known she'd be there. She was shot by accident as the robber was trying to escape the police, and it was this that had led Jeno to join the police academy after he graduated high school instead of taking over the family company as he'd been expected to do since he was born.

There was one person who'd never even seen Jeno's wealth. Lee Donghyuck, who'd been his friend since they were in preschool. Donghyuck, who was bright and funny and so talented--even if he used his talent to put vibrant murals all over the Lee Corportation buildings. Donghyuck who'd never once asked anything of Jeno but his friendship, who'd more than once rejected opportunities to ask for extravagent things and only ever asked for drawings or crafts from Jeno as birthday and Christmas presents. Donghyuck, who would probably never know of Jeno's near-lifelong crush on him, simply because Jeno had seen his friend reject countless people as easily as one might rip a piece of wet paper.

Donghyuck had been in Jeno's life since they were preschoolers, and anyone could tell how thoroughly Jeno was wrapped around Donghyuck's little finger. Because in the police force, everyone knew Jeno as an incredibly focused and dedicated man, someone who would work a case with unmatcher fervor until he caught the perpetrator and got them securely behind bars. At first, everyone had expected that Jeno would slack off on account of his wealth, but they'd been proven wrong again and again. They'd been sure that when he was given the graffiti case, he'd have it solved in less than a week, another highlight on his perfect record. But the case stretched on and on, and no one could figure out why the star officer was unable to solve such a seemingly easy case.

The thing was, Jeno already knew who it was; he'd recognize Donghyuck's work anywhere, even if every mural was signed _Haechan_. When he got another report about a piece of art showing up, he'd go and stare for a good half-hour before snapping a picture and scrubbing the paint off the walls. Evidence, he always said when asked, but that didn't explain the hundreds of photos that had come from his time before the police academy. In Jeno's opinion, the funniest part of the entire case was that the other men at the station _knew_ Donghyuck. He'd visited Jeno countless times, usually bringing coffee or snacks -he worked at a convience store a couple blocks away- for the noiret. Jeno was sure that was the reason no one would ever suspect his friend; though Donghyuck was known to be energetic and bright, his band-aid covered fingers were never smudged with paint, and he looked the picture of innocence.

Jeno had been and would continue protecting his friend and his artwork for as long as he needed to. It was an inconsequential case without much effect on the city beyond providing new scenery for a day or two. As long as Donghyuck kept to things like flowers and stylized, nonsensical words, Jeno wouldn't really have to do anything.


	2. An Introduction of Donghyuck

Donghyuck was one of the most carefree people most ever met. He seemed to be perfectly happy with every aspect of his life, from his best friend Jeno to his job at the small store at the end of the road. He enjoyed painting on the weekends with Renjun, and he enjoyed taking Jeno his drinks and snacks.

Donghyuck had this thing about attention, though. He craved it, mostly from his friend Jeno but also from even the random strangers on the streets. It was why he sucked on lollipops and wore leather jackets, why he smiled so brightly at Jeno when he went to the station. For a while, much of the police force had tried to pry his attention away from Jeno, and he'd thrived in that small bit of extra attention beyond Jeno's. His need for attention was what brought him to cover subways and corporate buildings alike in vibrant paintings of flowers and words he found interesting. He'd tagged Jeno's grandfather's luxury apartment building with a rough sketch of a purple and green Jabberwocky the day he read the poem in school. He'd even googled how to spell it in English and had sprayed the word in bubbly cursive for a whole week and a half.

Donghyuck enjoyed nature and nonsense words, like _frindle_ and _supercalifragilisticexpialidocious_. They were the two most common subjects of his graffiti, and he made sure to make every piece unique. For a while, he'd done it because people knew it was him and it had drawn even more attention to him. A rumor about him stealing the jacket he'd worn since sophomore year had given him the label of a bad boy, and many people assumed his friendship with Jeno was bound to sour and end before they left high school. Donghyuck rarely saw most of his old friends anymore, but he was glad he'd proven them by still being so close to Jeno even years after high school had ended.

The only time that Donghyuck hadn't wanted attention was when Jeno's mom died. All he'd wanted was to protect Jeno, console him and help him get through what had turned out to be a turning point in his friend's life. The title of being a bad boy had grown even larger and more concrete during that time, because Donghyuck started tagging their school walls to take attention away from Jeno. He started fights with people who insulted Jeno or talked about him behind his back, and he got detention a lot. That was the only time in his life he'd attracted attention to himself not because he wanted it, but because he didn't want it on Jeno.

And now, he lived his life in a routine. He worked during the day, visited his friend and floated through the streets on feet light as air, carefree and taken easily by the wind. His friend handled himself well and excelled at his chosen profession, as Donghyuck had known he would when Jeno first told him about his desire to join the police force, so long ago it felt like a different life. He painted at night, using only streetlights and the moon to help him because he knew what he was doing so well he didn't need light. He could've done it in his sleep, if he felt like it.

Donghyuck was certain he was the only artist bold enough to paint the walls in such open places. He was certain of that because he'd never seen anyone else's work, aside from those pieces flashing by on trains and buses. But, well, nothing lasts forever.


	3. Chapter 3

I walked into the station, and the first thing I saw was a file marked _Urgent_ on my desk. I took off my jacket and sat down, pulling the manila folder to me and flipping the cover open. For a moment, I wondered why they were considering Donghyuck's graffiti urgent, but I took a closer look and realized that the signature was wrong, and the style was off somewhat. An imitation, then. I pondered silently why anyone would want to pretend to be him through graffiti until I realized what the art was depicting. Someone had painted anti-government propoganda in bright colors, and had used Donghyuck's graffiti tag to hide themselves.

"Jeno," someone shouted as a door slammed open. I jolted upwards and saw the Chief standing in the doorway, face red as he stared in my direction. "Get in here right now!" I stood up quickly, closing the folder and bringing it with me. He was seated behind his desk again when I walked in and closed the door behind me, and hand in his hair. He glanced at the folder in my hand. "I assume you realize why you're in here, don't you?" I nodded.

"Yes, Chief. Except, this isn't the same person who's been tagging the subways and buildings in the area," I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

"How can you possibly say that?! It's the same style and under the same name as the artist _you_ have failed to catch for the past year and a half! This has to be-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Chief, but you're wrong. Look," I said standing up and opening the file again, passing it to him across the table. I opened my phone and clicked into the gallery, bringing up the most recent photo. I handed it to him, and he stared at the two pieces of graffiti. "The one on my phone was done last Friday. I've been on this case for a long time, and I know the artist's style. The signature is too stretched out in this newest piece that's supposedly from him. If you go through the art on my phone, you'll see that he always keeps the letters of his name close together, almost too close to be read. This signature on this new piece is far too easily read. The words this person wrote are the next biggest giveaway. The usual artist makes the ends of his words faded, not as crisp. This propaganda piece has well defined ends to the letters, almost like they used a stencil to do it. The usual artist sticks to words and flowers, usually, so it's difficult to tell the difference in the style on the other part of the art, but he almost always uses a specific brand that's very bright and keeps color for a long time. The colors in the new piece are too dull." The Chief took another moment to stare at the two pieces of art, trying to pick out all the differences I'd pointed out. He swiped onto an image that had lettering and furrowed his brow.

"I… can see that you know this artist very well. I wouldn't have noticed, doubt anyone else would've really… you kept saying he? Do you have a suspect," the Chief asked. I shook my head.

"Ah no. Haechan just isn't a very feminine name in my mind, so I've taken to calling our usual artist by masculine pronouns," I explained. The older man nodded before breathing out heavily and leaning back in his chair.

"So, it's not the usual artist. In that case, this person is either trying to get the usual artist in more severe trouble, or is using his name to cover themself. I'm putting you on the case, Jeno, because you've got the most knowledge about the usual artist, but we need to catch this one," the Chief said. I nodded.

"I understand, sir. I won't fail you on this one. I'll go check out this piece right now, see if I can get anything from the site," I said. The Chief nodded and handed the now-closed folder to me, turning off my phone and returning it to my hand. I pushed it into my back pocket and walked over to my desk, pulling my jacket back on and making sure I had my badge before leaving the station.

The first thing I did was walk to the convience store Donghyuck worked at. He was obviously surprised when I walked in, but he glanced at his manager and mouthed something before walking around the counter and walking outside with me. I opened the file and showed him the picture, and he stared at it with his brows furrowed before his eyes widened and he locked eyes with me. I felt my ears growing warm, and I hurried to explain before he could notice.

"Someone did this last night. They thought it was you, but obviously I told them it wasn't. I think someone's trying to use your name to protect themself and make you a bigger target for the department," I told him. He stared for a moment longer before letting out a long breath.

"They know I'm behind the art this is imitating," he asked. He sounded small and hurt, betrayed. I shook my head quickly.

"No! I mean, they thought it was the artist they know as Haechan, but they don't know who the artist actually is," I told him quickly. He stayed quiet aside from sighing in relief and averting his eyes. When he looked back at me he was blushing a little. I couldn't tell why.

"So, you can tell it's not me," he asked. He sounded more curious and satisfied than anything, and I nodded.

"Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I couldn't? For one thing, the signature is wrong, and for another, they used the wrong paints. It's not bright enough. And the letters are wrong. It's all kinda small stuff, but obvious if you pay attention," I said easily. He blushed brighter and scratched the back of his neck.

"Right. So, you're gonna catch this person, right," he asked. I nodded and he bit his lip. "I think… if I turned myself in, they wouldn't be able to use my name. Or if I revealed myself in some way. Maybe I could start painting things opposite them. Like, in favor of the government. Then it'd be more obvious that someone was faking my art. What… what do you think?" I stared at my friend in confusion. It wasn't something I'd ever expected to hear out of Donghyuck. I'd never thought he'd ever be found out, especially not by his own hand. "Jeno?" I blinked and blushed.

"I- I don't know. Maybe you could change your signature name or something. But then the imposter would know too… I-"

"Ah wait! I know what I'll do! Thanks for the heads up, Jeno! Expect a present for your station in a few days, okay? It'll help the other police believe you, okay? Don't worry, I got it," Donghyuck said. I nodded gratefully after a moment and he enveloped me in a tight hug. He went back inside, and I only walked away after he noticed me still standing outside and waved with a bright smile on his face. I blushed and opened the file again, staring at the address on the sheet of paper under the picture before closing it again and walking.

The entire way, I thought about Donghyuck. His hug and his smile, both so warm, both things I never really saw him give to anyone else. His offer to turn himself in popped up, and my mind began reeling again. It wasn't that Donghyuck wouldn't sacrifice himself for others, it was just that it wasn't something he did often. The last time I could remember that happening was when he tagged the school and fought kids so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by unwanted attention when my mom was killed. He hadn't even hesitated for a second to do that at the time, despite the fact that it would inevitably bring trouble to him. That incident was a small part of why I refused to turn him in as the graffiti artist, no matter how bad it made me look within the department.

Seeing the imposter's work in person made it even clearer to me that it was a poorly done fake. I'd thought that the wall the propaganda was spread across was white because it was on a white background in the provided photo, but the wall had been painted white before the image was put up. That was something Donghyuck _never_ did. I sighed and took a new picture of the propaganda, moving it to a new album in my phone that I labeled _Evidence against the imposter_. I called Yukhei, one of my coworkers, and he drove over and helped me scrub the paint off the wall after I assured him that I had a picture record of it.

After he left, I asked people in the area if they'd seen or heard anything last night. One of the homeless men told me that they'd seen someone tall and thin, wearing all black, spray something onto the wall. I thanked him and told him that if he went to the convience store and told the boy at the counter that Jeno had sent him, the boy would pay for a few meals' worth of food. It was something I'd done before, and Donghyuck never said no. He'd help if I asked.

I went home later that day and started making collages of all the identifying pieces of Donghyuck's art, comparing it to the parts that were off in the new piece of graffiti. I saved the collages to the album I'd made earlier in my phone, and after eating and showering, I went to sleep. It was going to be a rough few weeks, I could tell already.


	4. Chapter 4

True to his word, there was a present for the police station a few days later. The boy holding it was lanky, all limbs, and he looked relieved when he saw me. He held out the large canvas to me, and I stared at the massive red bow on top before comprehending what it was. I took it from his hands carefully and he left without a word. When I walked in, everyone stared at me. I glanced down at the canvas, and smiled at what I saw. I walked to the front of the station, near the doors, and set the canvas up on the table usually used for coffee. I turned and faced everyone.

"Hello. It appears the city's graffiti artist has given us a gift. I'll read it outloud, for anyone who might be unable to see it," I announced loudly. I stepped to the side and read the bubbly lettering. "The artist formerly known as HAECHAN." This one was signed Lee at the bottom, in the same, close-lettered way Haechan used to be written. I grabbed the typed up letter that had been taped to the back and cleared my throat. "There's an explanation. I'll read it now. 'I am the graffiti artist you may have known as Haechan before now. It has come to my attention that someone is promoting propaganda against our country's government under my name and in my style, possibly in an attempt to protect themselves or make myself look bad. In response, I have decided to continue my art under the same name. However, I will paint things supporting our government instead, and I suggest leaving cameras or officers near my paintings to keep watch should the imposter come for a peek. I will attempt to keep watch as well and assist the police. If they have not been found in three weeks' time, I will reveal myself and stop painting. Wishing you the best, Haechan Lee."

"So, he's gonna start doing different art under the same name? What's the point in signing this one different then," someone asked.

"So we'll know that the anti-government graffiti isn't him. He's keeping the same name so this new artist doesn't catch on that he's aware he knows. We need the imposter to keep doing his propaganda as long as possible so we can catch him," I responded.

"You never caught the original artist. What makes you think you'll catch the new one," someone else called out. I huffed angrily.

"You wouldn't have even realized it wasn't the same person. The original graffiti artist painted things that weren't harmful to the public opinion of the government. It was just flowers and silly words. This person is trying to start some kind of hatred towards the government, and that's something we need to stop. The original artist is offering to attempt to help us. He's not a threat, unlike this imposter," I said; I could hear the steeliness of my own voice.

"So, you're saying you weren't actually trying to catch the original artist," the officer shot back.

"Oh, for-"

"You will stop arguing this instant. Everyone get back to work. Jeno, leave that thing there and we'll hang it up or something," the Chief demanded, silencing the room and helping me let the tension flood out of my body. I nodded and set the letter down on the table, walking back over to my desk and going over the notes I had on the case. Someone tall and thin, who was fairly good at copying styles. I figured that they probably knew Donghyuck, or at least knew who was behind the _Haechan_ art. The person may have even known that I was protecting Donghyuck and was hoping I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in the art.

I sighed and sat back in my chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment. Someone cleared their throat, and I turned to see one of the younger officers holding a folder out to me. I stood up and took it, thanking her and watching her walk away. She started trying to figure out how to hang the canvas on the wall, and I sat back down. I opened it and found two more pictures of propaganda graffiti, painted and signed in a poor imitation of Donghyuck's art. I stared at all the glaring mistakes and sighed. I texted Donghyuck and told him more had been found, smiling at his response. He'd asked if they were as pretty as his art. I shook my head and told him they were done wrong again, and he then told me I'd have something to look forward to in the morning. I bit my lip to keep my smile down and turned my phone off.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I filed reports and took new pictures of the two pieces of graffiti, cleaning it off the wall afterwards with Yukhei's help. We asked some of the homeless people to watch the area for us and paid them in cash and free meal tickets. I messed around with my collages and went to sleep, wondering what Donghyuck might be spraying onto the walls of the building tonight. I wondered, too, whether the imposter was doing any painting tonight.

When I arrived at the station, I threw my jacket over my chair and stared at the folder on my desk, smiling softly and contemplating. I sat in the chair and leaned forward, opening the folder like it was a present I knew was delicate. It was hard to tell what it was at first, because it was taken from farther away than most pictures of Donghyuck's work. It looked like a portrait of the skyline though. I bit my lip and paddled my hands on the desktop, humming to myself before standing and grabbing the folder. I walked quickly, knocking lightly on the Chief's door. When he called out, inviting me in, I opened the door and left it open behind me. I opened the folder and set it in front of him, leaning forward on the desk and watching him. He looked up at me and gestured for me to talk.

"Do we have to get rid of Lee's work? The original artist? This is positive. Sure, I think it's a massive mural, and probably takes up a lot of space, but this one is promoting the government," I said, referring to the words written in bubbly Hangul. _Together, we are strong_. Something the President had always stood for was unity. The Chief looked conflicted.

"Ask the building owners. They're the ones that need to give out approval for leaving it up. If they say no, take it down, but otherwise, it can stay," he said after a long, tense moment. I smiled and thanked him, grabbing the folder and walking back to my desk. I googled the address on the paper, and it came up as a library. I emailed the owner, a middle-aged woman, and explained that I was from the police force and would be visiting at about noon to discuss the graffiti that had been sprayed on her building last night. She emailed back half an hour later and said that would work for her. I filed more reports and chatted idly with the people sitting near me, trying to pass the time until it was time to leave for the library.

I almost left too late because I got caught up in an intense game of Solitaire that probably had the difficulty level set too high. I pulled my jacket on and hurried out the door, running back in to grab my phone and the folder. I called a cab and took it to the library, taking a moment to look at the tall building before paying the driver and walking inside. The library had two floors, and I assumed the upper floor was filled with books like this one. I saw the owner standing behind a high counter with a computer on the lower desk. She stood up and greeted me when I noticed.

"Are you the officer who emailed me earlier," she asked. I nodded and held out my hand. She took it and I shook her hand gently.

"I'm Lee Jeno. Have you gone to see what was painted yet," I asked. She nodded.

"It's quite beautiful. I've never seen anything like it," she said. I nodded.

"I'd like to see it in more detail before we start discussing, if that's okay with you," I told her. She nodded and led me outside. She walked around the corner and gestured towards the wall in front of her. I'd been right: the graffiti was huge. It took up almost half the wall. It was indeed a silhouette of the city, done in vibrant oranges and yellows with blues and purples as shadows. The words were in vibrant, enticing pink, speckled with tiny dots of poisonous green. It reminded me of what happened when you dragged your fingers over the bristles of a brush loaded with thin paint. "It is beautiful. You're right." I pulled out my phone and snapped the best picture I could without walking across the street.

"What did you want to say about it," the older woman asked. I bit my lip.

"I wanted to ask if you would be open to letting this stay up. Usually we clean the graffiti as soon as we hear about it, but someone is imitating this artist and doing anti-government propaganda. This is beautiful and positive, and combats the imposter, and it could help us catch this new artist. I'd also ask that you try and keep an eye out if you allow us to leave it up; the only lead we have right now is that the suspect is tall and thin," I told her. She stared up at it for a moment before nodding.

"I think it'd be a wonderful addition to my building. I'll keep it up. I'll do my best to keep an eye out as well. Thank you for visiting, Officer," the woman said. I shook my head.

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for allowing us to keep it up," I said. She smiled and walked away, back into the library. For a moment I stood still and just stared at Donghyuck's painting. It was different from anything I'd ever seen him do, but it still fit. Maybe it was the vaguely flower-esque shapes that made up the buildings, like they were richly colored bouquets instead of metal and glass. It was new, but it was still intrinsically Donghyuck. I pulled out my phone and sent him a text before taking a taxi back to the station.

_I love it,, it's beautiful_

I didn't see his response until later that night, right before I went to bed.

_i hoped u would_


	5. Chapter 5

The next two weeks didn't bring much progress. The imposter ramped up on leaving the anti-government graffiti on the walls when Donghyuck started painting positive things instead of words and flowers. Most people agreed to leave Donghyuck's art up, because most of his words could be taken as inspirational quotes and because his artwork was, in the words of many I'd talked to, gorgeous. There had been a few more sightings of him, everyone reinforcing that he was tall and thin, somewhere around six feet tall. Someone had seen the glint of light off of glasses once, and I added it to my notes.

I wondered how the imposter seeing Donghyuck's work left up while their's was scrubbed away almost immediately. I hoped they were getting annoyed, fed up with the way we were trying to erase them, and I hoped they'd try to do something about it. After getting permission from the owners of the buildings, we started making sure we left cameras in the places Donghyuck painted. We hoped the imposter would try to sabatoge his work overnight.

The night after Donghyuck's newest piece, a portrait of the President smiling kindly upon a crowd of cheering people, they did. I walked into the station to a file on my desk, containing an address and a picture of Donghyuck's portrait. It took a few seconds to realize that someone had painted new parts over the top of the old painting in duller colors. The imposter had made the president look like a rat, giving him ears and whiskers and writing _rat_ in English and Korean. They hadn't bothered to make the words look like Hyuck's words, simply spraying them over the wall quickly; the words were written like someone might've written them on paper. I figured that the imposter probably spoke English as well as Korean, especially because the way they'd written _rat_ looked so natural. I added it to the file and sighed, taking a picture before calling Yukhei over. The original had been rather large, so I'd need help to get rid of it now that it had been messed with. I was saddened by having to get rid of another one of Hyuck's pieces, but I was glad that this one was providing the next step of the investigation.

I texted Donghyuck about what had happened after taking a picture of it and sending it to him. I apologized for having to get rid of it after Yukhei and I cleaned the wall off. He'd called me and when I picked up, he was breathless with laughter. He told me it was okay and that he could see what I meant by the spray paint brand being different than what he used. He said he was glad I got rid of it because the imposter had made it ugly with his cheap paint and poor writing. It was clear that he wasn't an actual spray painter just from the way he'd done the ears and whiskers. I laughed with him, and went quiet when he hummed thoughtfully.

"It's getting close. I'll paint another one of the President soon. Now that you know he'll mess with it, you can stay at the painting and watch," Donghyuck said after a few moments.

"If we catch him, will you go back to painting what you used to," I asked. I didn't wait for a response before saying, "I miss all the flowers. I've seen that you make flower shapes in the new stuff, but it's not the same." I expected him to laugh. He sighed softly instead.

"Jeno… I think after you catch this guy, I should turn myself in. I only ever did it so you could see pretty things while you were working- well, that's been the reason for the past few years," he said.

"Since when," I asked, heart beating faster than it had in awhile.

"Once I learned you were on the case. I've been painting the flowers and weird words for you since then. I thought it'd be a nice break from the other stress of your work. But I expected you to catch me rather quickly. You do so well in everything else, and… it has to be making you look bad in the department. You look bad in the department because you've never caught me, right," he asked. I didn't answer, and it seemed that was enough for him. "I thought so. I'll turn myself in once you catch this guy, whether three weeks have passed since I painted on that canvas." I shook my head quickly.

"You can't. I don't want you to get in trouble," I said desperately. Donghyuck sighed. I was glad he couldn't see the heavy blush on my face. "If you don't want to continue once we catch this imposter, then just stop doing graffiti. You can paint on canvases, like you did with the thing you gave the department. We have it hung up on the wall. I don't want to stop seeing your art, I don't care how bad I look for being unable to solve the case."

"I care though, Jeno. I don't want you to lose respect because of me. I… I'll think about it. About stopping graffiti and just spray painting on canvases. I don't know. Promise you won't stop me if I do want to turn myself in. It's my decision in the end," he said sternly. I sighed and stayed silent before looking down at my shoes and nodding.

"Yeah. Okay. You're right, it's your decision. Just, make sure you think of yourself too," I told him. He made a noise of agreement and he ended the call after saying goodbye. I stood still on the sidewalk, just staring out over the street. I watched people walk by, ignoring me almost entirely. A few glanced up at the wall behind me, and I wondered if they'd seen Donghyuck's art in the day it was left on the wall. I wondered what everyone thought of the game we were playing with this imposter, if they could tell what we were doing. I turned to look up at the damp wall, my eyes catching on the streaks of spray paint that we'd missed.

"Why'd they take the painting down," someone said suddenly. I jumped and looked to the left, finding a boy standing next to me. He was wearing rainbow-striped knee high socks and red converse, his frayed jean shorts covered in patches of bright fabric. His shirt was white and had vibrant flowers drawn around the hems. There was a large, yellow smiley face in the center of the front, with a dopey black grin and x's over the eyes. The boy was blond, and had circular glasses perched on his thin nose. There was a black backpack hanging off his skinny shoulders, and he looked young. Despite that, he was taller than me, though very obviously much thinner than I was.

"Someone came and painted on top of the original overnight. We couldn't leave it up afterwards," I told the boy. His eyes were glued to the wall, and a small smile was dancing over his lips.

"What made you take it down, then? You've been leaving the other ones up, so how come what got added to this one changed that," he asked. I sighed and looked up at the wall.

"Well, what was added turned it into propaganda against the government. We couldn't leave it on the wall like that," I said. He finally took his gaze from the wall, instead looking at the sidewalk between his shoes. He scuffed the toe of one against the concrete and coughed. When he looked up, the smile was gone. He nodded.

"That makes sense. It's a shame for such a pretty picture to go to waste like that," the boy said. I nodded, mostly hearing the lack of genuine emotion in his voice. Someone shouted something and his head snapped towards the noise. He smiled and waved before turning to me. "Well, goodbye, Officer…" he squinted at the badge on my shirt, "Lee." With that, he skipped away, linking arms with a boy that had bright orange hair held back by a bandana. I groaned when I realized the other boy had probably called his name and that I'd missed it.


	6. Chapter 6

When I got the next report of a new painting from Donghyuck, I immediately went to the Chief's office. He greeted me and gestured for me to take a seat. I waited impatiently while he continued his phone call, my leg shaking up and down quickly. I sighed in relief when he ended his call and leaned forward. I handed him the folder and waited for him to open it before speaking.

"We have evidence now that the imposter is willing to sabotage this artist's work, so I'm asking for permission to stay overnight and watch this new piece," I said quickly. The Chief glanced up at me and nodded. 

"If it doesn't happen tonight, you have my permission to watch tomorrow night as well, in case it takes the imposter a while to find this piece," he said. I smiled and thanked him, taking the folder when he handed it back. "Go do what you usually do, and then feel free to go back home and get as much rest as you can. It won't do any good for you to do this and fall asleep before they arrive." I nodded and left the office, going back to my desk. I started sorting through the rest of the folders on my desk and decided I might as well get the rest of my work done today so I wouldn't be swamped by it tomorrow. 

Donghyuck came in with three glazed donuts and a cup of coffee at noon. He ate two of the donuts before I could even drink half my coffee, and he sent a pointed look at the last one before reaching out for it. I snatched it off the napkin and ate half of it in about two seconds, startling laughter out of Donghyuck. His laughter was infectious, and soon I was covering my mouth to avoid spitting donut all over my desk. I had to work to stop laughing, and when I had I quickly finished the donut and coffee. I threw the empty cup and the dirty napkin in the trashbin next to my desk and turned back around, expecting Donghyuck to be gone already. He wasn't, though; he was sitting in my chair, and I blushed when he spread his arms. I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a moment before giving in and sitting in his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hooked his chin over my shoulder while I did my work. 

"Have you seen the new one yet," he whispered in my ear, about thirty minutes later. I nodded and tried not to react to the tickle of his breath on my ear. "I saw the canvas you guys put up. It makes this place look less sad." 

"Yeah. We get comments about it whenever people come in. I'm gonna go take a nap after I finish all of this," I told him. He hummed and stayed quiet. 

"Be careful tonight, okay? Don't get yourself hurt trying to catch them. I'd… I'd be very upset," he said, voice still quiet. He sounded oddly vulnerable, and it wasn't really something I'd ever associated with him so it was odd to suddenly do so. 

"I'll be okay, Hyuck. You know I wouldn't let myself get hurt." At some point, I'd stopped writing, so now I was just staring at the papers on my desk. The pen in my hand was frozen a centimeter above the printed black line, waiting for something to be done with it. I slowly set the pen down and sighed. I looked at the papers covering my desk, and realized most of them were finished. I gathered them up and put them in the folder I used for my finished work, setting the last few incomplete ones in a small pile on the left side of my desk. When Donghyuck realized I was going to get up, he let his arms drop away from my waist. I helped him up and smiled when his legs went shaky; they were probably asleep because I'd been sitting on them so long. He hesitated for a second before looking up at me. 

"Jeno, could you-"

"Sure, Hyuck," I said, crouching down. I didn't miss his bright smile before he climbed onto my back. I stood up and grabbed his thighs to keep him steadier, waiting for him to wrap his arms around my neck before checking that we had everything and leaving the building. He waved goodbye to multiple officers on the way, and quiet laughter rose up as we passed. Before I could ask where he wanted me to take him, he told me to just go to my place. The walk wasn't long, and it was only 1 o'clock by the time we were standing in the elevator. I let him down and allowed myself a moment to readjust without his weight on my back before reaching out and pressing the button for the fourth floor. The lightness that came after letting someone off your back combined with the motion of the elevator felt strange, but good because it was new. 

Donghyuck led the way to my apartment when the doors opened. 2D; we'd always thought that was funny because of the art Donghyuck made. I let him unlock the door and make himself comfortable on my couch while I went to my room to change. I set my uniform out on my chair, so I could put it back on later, and left my bedroom in a white t-shirt and black shorts. I leaned over the back of the couch next to Donghyuck and cleared my throat. 

"You can watch TV out here if you want, just make sure to lock up when you leave," I told him. He jumped and turned to look at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised. He swallowed heavily and asked, "I thought we could cuddle? Don't you sleep better when you're cuddling someone?" I blushed and nodded. "I mean, yea. I just, uh, didn't know you wanted to." He laughed and shook his head. If he noticed my blush, he didn't say anything. He just grabbed my hand and stood up, holding it all the way around the couch and using it to lead me back to my room. He glanced at my chair and let out another laugh. 

"Your uniform looks so empty without you in it," he said softly. There was something soft in his eyes when he looked back at me, and it made me blush even more. I let him pull me down into my bed, only letting me have a moment to take my glasses off and put them on my table. I was glad I'd already set an alarm, because I doubted Donghyuck would've let me up again. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my chest. I wondered if he could hear the pounding of my heart even on the wrong side of my chest. I fell asleep easily with my hand in his hair.


	7. Chapter 7

The alarm rang loud in my ears, and I reached out to turn it off. I blinked in the darkening room and turned to look at the clock. For a moment, I couldn't remember why I'd set an alarm for 6:30 PM, but I quickly untangled myself from Donghyuck when I caught a glimpse of my uniform on the chair by the door. He stayed asleep, thankfully, and I put my uniform back on in the darkness. I turned my phone to silent and put it in my pocket. The sandwich I ate for dinner was just ham and cheese, quick and easy.

The new piece of art had been done close to my apartment, and I silently thanked Donghyuck as I shut the locked door behind me. I was down on the first floor in half a minute, and I'd made it to the new piece by 7 PM. It was a depiction of the President and his advisors, done in bright, happy colors. I found it amazing that Donghyuck could make an older man like the President seem so youthful. I took a seat across the street, in one of the heavily shaded chairs of the cafe Donghyuck went to for coffee some days. It was already closed. The chair I'd sat in was one that had lost its cushion, and I knew the uncomfortable seat would help keep me awake. There wasn't as much foot traffic now, and it continued to decrease as minutes ticked by. By 9 PM, the only people walking by were those on night-shift. A few cars flashed past ever so often, but the streets had become empty and quiet. 

I passed the time by counting the cracks in the sidewalk and street. I'd always lose track at about a hundred and start over again, this time from a different end. It was difficult to see in the dark, even with the assistance of the streetlights, and I wondered again how Donghyuck did his art so well. He must bring a flashlight. I looked up at the graffiti and smiled, knowing he must have brought a ladder with him to do it so high up. Maybe he had some kind of pact with the business owners now, because his art had become so large recently that it must take hours to do. 

The moon was high in the sky by the time I heard huffing, clattering, and muttering. I looked down the street and saw someone dragging a ladder down the sidewalk. They were dressed in all black, and the streetlights glinted off the glasses hidden by their hood occasionally. A large black bag bumped against their back as they walked. I took out my phone and started filming them, knowing I couldn't arrest them until they actually started messing with the graffiti. When the person reached the graffiti, they stopped and bent over, putting their hands on their knees after the ladder was on the ground. After a moment, they stood back up and set the bag on the ground; it clattered loudly as the spray cans inside shifted around. The imposter grabbed the ladder and set it up against the wall, leaning down and coming back up with a can of spray paint. They ascended the ladder quickly and shook up the can, uncapping it and beginning to paint over the President's face in black. 

"Hey," I shouted after ending the recording. I stood up and crossed the street quickly as the person on the ladder flinched and froze. I stood at the bottom of it and waited for them to come down, but they weren't moving. "Hey, come down from the ladder now. You can't get out of this. I've already caught you." They unfroze and started climbing down. When the figure in black reached the bottom, they tried to run before I could catch them. It had been a while since I tackled anyone, but I still knew the basic procedure. The imposter was on the ground about three seconds after they started running. I sat up and pulled their arms behind their back, putting the cuffs around their wrists as I listed their rights to them. I called the Chief and let him know I'd caught the imposter and would be bringing them to the station soon. He thanked me and ended the phone call. 

"Are your glasses okay," I asked as I stood up. I helped the cuffed imposter off the ground and turned them around to face me. The hood slid down and revealed a familiar face. It was the kid who'd been in the bright, rainbow outfit the other day. I was happy to see that his glasses were okay by some miracle, though there was a scrape on his jaw. I pulled out a large bandaid and gently put it over the cut after making sure it didn't have anything stuck in it. 

"Why are you asking me about my glasses and putting a bandaid on me," the kid asked. I laughed and started leading him along. 

"You're a criminal, but you're still human and so am I. I'm not gonna treat you like an animal over some spray paint," I told him. He nodded and stayed quiet the rest of the way. The Chief was waiting for me at the station and took the kid to one of the jail cells. As they walked away, I told him that when I came into work tomorrow, I'd submit all the evidence I'd collected. He thanked me again and I walked home quietly. The streets were no louder than they had been before I caught the kid, but Donghyuck's insistence on turning himself in after I caught the imposter rang in my head. 

When I walked back into my apartment, Donghyuck was awake. His hair was messy and he was pouting a little, rubbing his eyes and looking around the room. He smiled when he saw me, and I hugged him tightly when he opened his arms. 

"I caught him, Hyuck," I whispered. He laughed quietly and let me go. 

"I knew you could. Now go get changed so we can cuddle more," he demanded. I laughed and nodded, ignoring him watching me. I fell back into his arms like it was something we did everyday, and I gently kissed his cheeks before closing my eyes and pulling him closer. He giggled, and the sound chased me into sleep.


End file.
